


glaciers melting in the dead of night

by shinysylver



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Future Fic, Getting Together, Hoth (Star Wars), Huddling For Warmth, Kylo Ren Has Issues, M/M, Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Storms, The Force, but so did his parents..., empire strikes back references abound, relationship parallels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-13
Updated: 2019-09-13
Packaged: 2020-10-14 09:27:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20598491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shinysylver/pseuds/shinysylver
Summary: When an error in judgment leaves Kylo and Hux trapped on Hoth, can they survive for long enough to escape the echoes of the past and create a new future?





	glaciers melting in the dead of night

**Author's Note:**

> This is my submission for the 2019 Kylux Mini Bang. The title is a lyric from the song Supermassive Black Hole by Muse. 
> 
> I was lucky enough to be partnered with the very talented **venatohru** who had a wonderful prompt for me and made some beautiful artwork to accompany the fic. The art is embedded below, but please check out their art post and leave them feedback here:
> 
> [Art on Tumblr](https://venatohru.tumblr.com/post/187682427921/my-art-for-the-kyluxbigbang-mini-bang-to-go)
> 
> Many thanks need to go to my beta **huxandthehound** for making this fic so much better. I am so grateful that you continue to help me with my writing. :D

* * *

"This was an inspired plan," Hux said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He knew that he was playing with fire, being so disrespectful, but he couldn't manage to contain his disdain. Ren may have taken to ignoring his impertinence as long as no one else heard it, but this time both Unamo and Mitaka were nearby.

He shivered and pulled his coat tighter around himself. Frankly, a quick death at the hands of Kylo Ren would be preferable to dying from the elements on this frozen wasteland. Why Ren thought the Resistance would pick Hoth of all the places to revisit he'd never know. While there was an old Rebel base here, it had been thoroughly overrun by the Empire and was not fit to be a shelter any longer, let alone strategically useful.

But of course Ren hadn't listed to Hux's concerns. He'd claimed that he'd sensed the Resistance's presence in the Force, but Hux trusted logic and he knew that General Leia was too intelligent to return to this planet. Unlike her idiot son.

"Supreme Leader," Hux said ingratiatingly, forcing as much deference into his voice as he could manage. "There's a storm coming. We've sent out droids to look for signs of life. Perhaps we should return to the Finalizer while they search. The ships won't be of much use to us in a blizzard."

He hated simpering for Ren, but he'd always done whatever it took to further his own goals. It was just harder to fake it for Ren than it had been for Snoke.

Probably because he'd never slept with Snoke.

Ren scowled at him. He always knew when Hux was trying to placate him, but for all of his displeasure he usually preferred it to the alternative. "Then we go on foot. I can sense Rey's presence through our bond."

Hux's shoulders slumped as his irritation faded into resignation. "Ren, we don't even have the proper supplies." He gestured at Ren's clothes. He never changed them, regardless of the planet they were on. Hot or cold, it was always the same black outfit with cloak. "You don't have proper clothing--"

"Enough," Ren snapped. He stomped forward through the snow, somehow managing to maintain his usual intimidating presence despite the conditions. He _had_ to be using the Force to move so easily through the snow drifts.

Hux pulled his cold weather hat down over his ears and his scarf up over his nose--never let it be said that he didn't come prepared--and gestured for the others to follow. Ren wasn't going to listen to reason and his people were going to suffer for it. Most of the men were stormtroopers and expendable, but he'd hate to have to replace Mitaka or Unamo. They were loyal to him and the longer this war with the Resistance lasted, the harder it was to replace good officers.

Hoth was a miserable planet on a good day, but the coming storm was making conditions even worse. As they walked, the wind picked up, cutting through his clothing and chilling Hux to the bone. The gathering clouds were blocking the sun, but Hux guessed that they had been tromping through the escalating blizzard for nearly an hour before Ren finally stopped.

Ren was staring off into the distance, scowling, and Hux followed his gaze. He could just make out the former Rebel base through the snow. The metal door that had once protected it from the elements was broken inward and even from this distance it was clear that no one had been here in decades.

"Do you still think the Resistance is using this base?" Hux asked, shouting over the wind. Despite having to yell, he still managed to fill his voice with the censure he felt.

Ren ignored him and set off through the swirling snow.

Hux sighed, the moisture from his breath adding to the frost on his scarf. He gestured to the rest of the troops, signaling for them to follow Ren. At least the base would provide some shelter, however inadequate.

**

The harsh wind dropped off once Kylo entered the hangar. It was still frigid inside, but more bearable without the wind.

Kylo kept himself from shivering by sheer force of will and resisted the urge to pull his cloak more tightly around himself. He was freezing, but the last thing he wanted to do was admit that Hux had a point about his clothing. It was bad enough that Hux seemed to be right about the base.

It didn't appear as though anyone had been here in decades, but Kylo had been so sure that the Resistance was here. He'd _felt_ it. It had taken time, but he'd learned how to use the bond he still shared with Rey. The Order had already found several Resistance bases using the information that he'd gleaned from her.

She may have clumsily blocked him out, but with careful meditation he'd been able to see into her untrained mind and get impressions. He'd told her she needed training--proper training, unlike what his uncle could provide--but she'd rejected him and he'd taken advantage of her weakness.

Kylo cleared his mind and reached out into the Force, seeking out the thread that connected them, but all he could sense were the First Order troops and the sparse life native to Hoth. Any lingering remnants of Rey were entirely gone--or maybe she'd truly never been there at all. "I don't understand. It was so clear."

"Was it ever that clear before?" Hux asked, quietly.

Kylo hadn't realized that he'd spoken aloud, but at least Hux was the only person within earshot. It wouldn't do to portray himself as uncertain to the rank and file. Since it wasn't possible for Hux to think any less of him, he decided to answer the question. "No, but I've done this a lot now. I've gotten stronger."

"Or she's on to you," Hux suggested. "If she realized how we were always one step ahead of them, couldn't she use"--Hux wiggled his fingers vaguely in a gesture that Kylo assumed was shorthand for the Force--"it against you?"

Kylo clenched his fist. He wanted to lash out at Hux for suggesting that Rey was manipulating him, but he had to acknowledge the possibility. It would at least explain their current predicament. "It's possible."

Hux looked pointedly around the empty hanger. It had once housed the Rebellion's ships--including the Millennium Falcon if the stories of his youth were to be believed--but now it was full of nothing but snow drifts. Anything useful had long since been taken away and the rest was buried under the snow. "I'd say it's more than likely."

"I need to consult the Force."

"You need to act like a leader," Hux hissed. "Your men are going to freeze to death in this storm. Not just the stormtroopers either, but officers. Officers that would be hard to replace."

"How lucky that you happen to be standing in the only shelter on Hoth," Kylo said. He'd had enough of Hux's criticism and abruptly stalked out of the hangar and into the base.

He could have impressed his will on Hux with the Force, but he needed someone marginally competent to lead the fleet. If he pushed Hux too far he would act on one of the many assassination plans that he thought were a secret and Kylo would have to kill him.

Kylo understood Hux's concerns about having to replace his officers. Replacing Hux at this point would be an onerous task. For all of his flaws, Hux did manage to keep the fleet running smoothly. Killing him would be impractical.

At least that's what Kylo told himself.

**

Hux watched Ren sweep out of the room, the black of his cloak a stark contrast to the white snow. They should all be back on the Finalizer waiting out the storm, but Ren's single-minded obsession with the scavenger was going to get them all killed. "Bastard."

"Sir?" Mitaka asked.

"Nothing, lieutenant," Hux answered, keeping his voice brisk. His loathing for the Supreme Leader was hardly a secret, but it wouldn't do to be unprofessional about it. "We'll be staying here for the night. Take some stormtroopers and investigate the base. Find a place that can be kept warm." He paused and looked at Ren's retreating back. "And stay away from the Supreme Leader. He desires privacy."

Mitaka stood up straighter. "Yes, sir."

Hux glanced over at Unamo. "Take some troopers and see if you can find any supplies or tech worth salvaging."

She nodded and gestured to several of the troopers to follow her.

Once they'd left, he went to one of the control panels that were still standing and tried to access it. Unfortunately there wasn't any power. He took out his own datapad and was relieved to see that, despite the storm, he still had a connection to the Finalizer's database.

An alert box popped up on the screen warning him that there was a severe storm on the surface of Hoth. He closed the alert with a muttered curse about Ren's idiocy and pulled up the Imperial records from the Battle of Hoth. It took a moment for the maps to load because the storm was interfering with the holonet, but he eventually had a detailed diagram of the Rebel base in front of him.

He studied the diagram and identified the generators. If they could get them back up and working then they might actually have an outside chance of surviving the storm.

Hux did a mental run down of the troopers and officers he had at hand, but they had all been picked for their fighting prowess and their ability to not piss Ren off. None of them were engineers and he doubted any of them had any knowledge about outdated Rebel tech, which meant that fixing the generators was going to fall to him.

Despite his father's derision, Hux had always enjoyed engineering and if he hadn't been destined for command he probably could have been content working as an engineer. Very few people knew exactly how much of the design for Starkiller Base had been his own and he still spent his free time tinkering on occasion. One of his favorite ways to relax was taking apart decommissioned droids and using the pieces for other projects.

He glanced around the nearly empty hangar. Most of the troopers had gone with Mitaka or Unamo but there were a few stragglers. "With me."

The troopers snapped to attention at the sound of his voice and fell into step behind him as he left the relative warmth of the base. As soon as he set foot outside, strong winds assailed him and he had to fight to stay upright as he made his way resolutely around the outside of the base toward the generators.

The bitterly cold wind made his eyes sting and the tears that tried to fall froze solid on his eyelashes. He kept his mouth and nose covered with his scarf, trying to protect himself from frostbite, but he was afraid it was a futile effort.

The Rebels had hidden the generators in a small cave outside of the base for safety's sake--a smart move since the battle with the Empire would have ended much quicker if they'd been blown up. The cave didn't provide any real relief from the weather, but Hux had the stormtroopers stand behind him to block the wind as he tried to manipulate the controls with his gloved hands.

He'd almost gotten the first generator up and running when the wind picked up, nearly knocking him over. He spun around ready to lay into the troopers for not properly blocking him, but they weren't there.

He'd conditioned the troopers himself and, FN-2187 aside, he knew that they wouldn't abandon their post. He drew his blaster and kept it in his hand as he hurriedly finished engaging the first generator.

Hux took a deep breath and moved on to the second generator. He knew that he was pushing his luck, but without both generators running they couldn't guarantee the base would have enough power. It was going to be hard enough keeping it warm without the storm door working. He glanced over his shoulder, but didn't see anything but the white of the blizzard.

"There," he muttered as the second generator started humming. He gripped his blaster tighter in his hand and turned to leave, but it was too late. There was a sharp pain in his head and everything went dark.

**

Kylo's boots crunched on the broken glass that was scattered across the floor. There were dark blaster scars on the walls, evidence of the Empire's destruction of the base decades ago. He didn't sense death in the room, so it was most likely that the damage was caused by the Empire destroying the bacta tanks. They would have been too big and outdated to bother salvaging, but still useful enough to keep out of Rebel hands.

He had wandered the halls of the base, letting instinct take over until it led him to the medical center. Deciding that it was as good a place as any to meditate, he raised his hand and used the Force to sweep aside the glass and debris, clearing a spot in the center of the room.

He sat down in the cleared area, crossed his legs in a meditation pose, and regulated his breathing as he sunk his mind into the Force. Once he'd cleared his mind of all outside distractions he was able to see the bond that Snoke had created between himself and Rey. It stretched out in front of him like a frayed length of yarn, but it slipped just out of reach when he tried to grasp it.

_"Laugh it up, fuzzball."_

Kylo opened his eyes and shook his head. He could have sworn that he'd heard his father's voice. It wasn't the first time he'd thought that he'd sensed Han's presence in the months since he'd killed him, so Kylo took a deep breath and dismissed his childish weakness. His father was dead and gone no matter what Luke had implied about Han haunting Kylo.

When his mind was clear again, he closed his eyes and once more delved back into the Force. This time he managed to get a hold on the thread connecting him to Rey, before another voice threw his concentration.

_"Why, you stuck up... half-witted... scruffy-looking ...nerf-herder!"_

His eyes shot open and he gasped. That was his mother, her voice younger than he remembered ever hearing it.

He took a shaky breath and looked around the room. It was easy to dismiss Han's voice as a figment of his imagination, but he couldn't dismiss his mother's so easily. He knew his parents' history with the Rebellion and was aware that they had both been here for the Battle of Hoth. Perhaps he had tapped into an imprint that they'd left in the Force. He'd read of such things but never before experienced the phenomena.

He'd certainly tried hard enough with his grandfather's mask.

"What do you want me to see?" Kylo murmured. The Force worked in mysterious ways, and if it was showing him an imprint of the past, he would be a fool to ignore it. He braced himself for what he might find and opened his mind up entirely to the Force, letting it flow through him.

_"Who's scruffy-looking?"_ His father's form materialized in a blue haze, a much younger version of Han than the one Kylo had killed. The experience was similar to watching a holovid, but unlike a recording, he could feel an echo of his father's life force all around him.

Han looked over at another young man who appeared out of nowhere. It took Kylo a moment to place Luke because he looked so different than he did in Kylo's memories, but there was an unmistakable presence in the Force that he recognized as his uncle. _"I must have hit pretty close to the mark to get her all riled up like that, huh, kid?"_

_"Why, I guess you don't know everything about women yet."_ He heard his mother before he saw her appear in front of Luke. She was much smaller than he remembered with a stubborn glint in her eyes that he recognized all too well from his mirror. He didn't need the Force to read her irritation with Han, but he still wasn't expecting it when she leaned in and kissed Luke right on the lips.

Kylo's eyes snapped open and he stood up. His family was a dysfunctional mess. He didn't know why the Force wanted him to see that, but he could have happily lived out his days leaving it in the past.

He'd grown up with his parents constantly fighting and the last thing he needed was this reminder.

"Supreme Leader?" Mitaka's shaky voice interrupted his thoughts. The man was always so annoyingly hesitant around him, barely speaking up. Kylo liked it when people feared him, but unlike Hux who drew strength from his fear, Mitaka's made him weak.

"What?" Kylo snapped.

"It's General Hux, sir," Mitaka said, his terror palpable as it vibrated through the Force. "He's gone."

Kylo stepped forward, his irritation at the whole damn situation led him to raise his hand, closing his fingers just slightly. Mitaka jerked up and grasped frantically at his throat. "What do you mean Hux is gone?"

"We've searched the entire base," Mitaka choked out, his voice barely more than a wheeze. "He's not here, but there's evidence he was working on the generators outside." He paused and Kylo let up the pressure just enough for him to take a small breath. "We found his datapad."

"Is that all?"

"There was blood."

Kylo felt a wave of rage. Hux had gone out like an idiot and now he was hurt or dead. Kylo stepped forward and tightened his hand until Mitaka's eyes started to bulge. His capillaries broke, the red spiderwebs spreading throughout the whites and scarlet dots were visible underneath the thin skin around his eyes.

It was beautiful.

Kylo admired the effect for a few moments, watching more dots appear as Mitaka struggled against his hold, before he finally let go and shoved him roughly back against the wall. Killing him might make Kylo feel better in the short term, but if Hux was still alive he'd never let Kylo hear the end of it.

And if he wasn't alive… well then Kylo was going to need Mitaka to lead the troops for him until they got back to the Finalizer. Mitaka might be a coward, but he was a functional officer.

He left Mitaka a gasping mess on the floor and went out to find Hux. Alive or dead he needed to know.

Kylo hesitated briefly before opening himself up to the Force again. It was the fastest way to find Hux, but opening himself up meant being assaulted by the childish arguments between his parents.

_"Afraid I was going to leave without giving you a goodbye kiss?"_ Han's voice came from further down the corridor.

_"I'd just as soon kiss a Wookiee."_

There didn't seem to be a single hallway that hadn't witnessed them fighting about something. It was pathetic.

Determined to get away from the hell that was his parents' relationship, he called up memories of Hux that he'd buried years ago. Kylo avoided attachments of any kind, which made feeling someone's life force difficult, but when he was younger and less disciplined he'd allowed himself to act on his biological impulses with Hux. As much as he wanted to deny it, he was very familiar with Hux's unique resonance in the Force, and no matter how much he'd tried to forget it over the years, he could still feel it if he tried.

He picked up Hux's trail in the hangar and retraced his steps to the generators. The storm had escalated to the point that he needed to use the Force to keep the wind and ice from knocking him over. Unfortunately he couldn't do much about the cold.

When he reached the generators--up and running, he noted--the Force was full of the memory of recent violence, but he didn't sense any death so he kept going, following the invisible thread through the storm.

**

Hux woke up with a pounding headache. It took him a moment to remember the blow that knocked him out, but that only partially explained the throbbing in his head. He was hanging upside down, all of his blood pooling in his head making his probable concussion much worse.

It took him a moment to overcome his disorientation and focus his eyes on his surroundings. He appeared to be in small natural cave, dimly lit by the light at the mouth reflecting off of the icy walls and snowy ground.

He moved just enough to twist the ropes, spinning in a slow circle. The cave seemed to be empty--whatever had attacked him was nowhere to be found. He doubted it would be gone long though.

His hands were tied, but whatever had attacked him didn't bother checking him for weapons and he managed to slip his monomolecular blade out of his sleeve. It sliced easily through the ropes and he took a moment to shake out his hands, trying to get the blood flowing again.

Once the sensation of pins and needles faded, he took a deep breath and tried to lift himself up to cut the rope that wound around his ankles. There was a sharp pain in his ribs, that indicated bruised or broken ribs. The injury made it hard to lift himself with his core--especially since he'd only ever maintained the Order's minimum fitness requirements. He flopped around, swinging wildly as he struggled to hold himself up for long enough to cut himself free.

He slashed haphazardly at the rope, cutting into his boots in the process, but after a moment he managed to sever it. Without it holding him up, he fell with a painful thud onto the ground, the hard packed snow not doing much to soften his landing.

He rolled over onto his back, one arm wrapped tightly around his ribs, and took a moment to catch his breath before forcing himself to stand up and assess his situation. He was in the back of the cave, deep enough to provide some break from the wind, but it was still shallow enough that he wouldn't be able to escape the frigid temperatures.

In the meager light he was able to make out his bag sitting on the ground near what looked like a nest with various scraps of cloth and bits of animal hide. He picked it up and searched for his datapad, hoping he could send out a message, but it wasn't there. He must have dropped it at the generators.

The safest bet would be to wait out the storm in the cave where he at least had some shelter, but if the thing that attacked him returned he didn't want to test his luck with nothing but a dagger to protect himself.

He dug through his bag trying to find anything of use. He had packed a few survival necessities--rations, a heat lamp, a compass--just in case, but none of them were very helpful in these conditions. He grabbed the compass. He wasn't sure where exactly he was, but if he could figure out a direction then at least the compass would let him keep the heading.

A blood chilling roar sounded from the entrance to the cave and he spun around, his dagger raised in a defensive posture.

Wampa. The name for the creature came to him suddenly. Unlike Ren he always prepared by reading as much as he could about the planets they visited and there had been a holovid of a wampa in the Imperial records. They were fearsome things that had killed a few stormtroopers during the occupation until the Empire had finally cleared out the nests near the base. Apparently they'd returned.

The thing came toward him and he backed up until he was flat against the wall of the cave. He held his dagger up between him and the creature although he doubted that it would do much good against the wampa.

The wampa roared again, close enough that the odor of rotting meat on its foul breath washed over Hux and he had to suppress a gag. His training kicked in and he lashed out, trying to slice the thing's throat--without knowing its internal anatomy it seemed like the best option--but the thick fur protected its skin. All he managed to do was cut off a large clump of its shaggy white hair.

He didn't have time to get off another strike before it hit him hard. The dagger was knocked out of his hand as he fell back against the wall. He barely managed to keep his feet, not that it mattered without a weapon to use.

He closed his eyes, waiting for the next hit, but it never came. Instead there was a pained grunt and he opened his eyes just in time to see Ren behind the wampa with his hand out in the all too familiar choking gesture. Not that Hux was complaining about it under these circumstances.

Ren's face was twisted in anger and he didn’t bother drawing his lightsaber, instead thrusting his other hand out in the direction of the slovering wampa.

Hux stayed pressed against the cave wall, ignoring the burning pain in his ribs--made worse by the wampa's hard blow--and watched as the creature went flying through the air. It crashed head first against the far wall with a wet-sounding crunch and didn’t get up.

Hux let himself take a breath—shallow to accommodate his injury—but he couldn’t relax. Not when Ren’s face was still so full of rage.

“What were you thinking?” Ren yelled, stepping into his personal space. “You nearly died.”

Hux tilted his chin up defiantly. “I don’t see why you care.”

“You don’t—“ Ren cut himself off, appearing too angry for words, and instead grabbed Hux's shoulders. It was strange to feel Ren's hands on him; always before he'd lashed out with the Force. But before Hux could really think about it Ren pulled him forward and kissed him roughly, a bruising kiss that was more attack than anything else.

Hux froze for a moment, startled. A kiss, even a violent one, was the last thing he expected from Ren. He'd slept with Ren once, years ago, and suffered his disdain ever since. Ren had never once acknowledged what happened between them and to do so now was unexpected.

Before Hux managed to gather his wits enough to free himself, Ren growled and punched the wall next to Hux's head. Hux couldn’t stop himself from flinching, but he recovered quickly.

“I shouldn’t.” Ren shook his head and pulled back to a more respectable distance. “I don’t.”

“Then we’re on the same page.” Hux stepped away from the wall--widening the distance between them--and straightened his coat. His lips burned, but he refused to think about what just happened, instead focusing on their current circumstances. “And to answer your question. I was thinking that we needed a source of power before we all succumbed to hypothermia.” He gave Ren a critical look. His cheeks were red and chapped. He'd have frostbite soon. “Speaking of. Where’s your cloak? It's bad enough you refused proper winter--”

“I’m fine,” Ren snapped.

“With all due respect, Supreme Leader—“ Ren snorted, well aware that Hux didn’t consider any respect to be his due. Hux ignored him and continued. “Your Force powers can’t save you from this weather.”

Hux peered out of the mouth of the cave. It was almost nightfall and the blizzard had reached near whiteout levels. He sighed. They weren't going anywhere tonight.

He looked back at Ren. He was holding himself tense, probably fighting his body's natural instinct to shiver. Hux took his small pack and moved as far back in the cave as he could. He stayed well away from the wampa's a nest though. He couldn't bring himself to use that foul smelling pile of refuse even if it would provide some insulation. They weren't that desperate yet.

He gingerly sat down against the back wall, doing his best to ignore the twinge in his ribs and opened his pack. It didn't contain much--he hadn't planned to stray far from the base--but it did have a small heat lamp. Only an idiot went out on a planet like this one without some preparation.

He glanced up at Ren. He was still standing in the middle of the room, but had given up the fight against the cold. He was shaking like a leaf. It served him right considering he'd gone out with nothing more than his usual clothing. Dying of hypothermia was the least he deserved.

Hux set up the lamp. It wouldn't do much in this cold, but it was better than nothing. He pulled his coat around him tightly and leaned over it.

Ren was still standing stubbornly distant, which forced Hux's hand. As much as he would love to see Ren brought low, he _had_ just saved Hux's life. "Get over here."

For once Ren didn't argue at the order. He sat down next to Hux. Close enough that Hux could see his lips were turning blue.

Hux cursed under his breath. He opened his coat. "Come here."

When Ren hesitated, Hux snapped. "Now, Kylo. I refuse to carry your body back tomorrow."

"I'd think you'd enjoy that," Ren muttered through clacking teeth as he curled into Hux. Hux was grateful that his coat was large enough to share and he closed it as best he could around them both.

"You're much too heavy," Hux said. "When I kill you it will be near an airlock so I don't have to bother moving your body."

Ren chuckled, an amused sound that Hux couldn't ever remember hearing from him and wrapped an arm around Hux's waist. "In your dreams."

He'd had more than one lovely daydream about putting Ren out of the First Order's misery, but every time he'd been given the actual opportunity to, he hadn't taken it. First he'd hesitated to shoot him on the Supremacy and now he was keeping Ren from freezing to death.

Clearly he had masochistic tendencies. Rabid beasts should be put down and not cuddled. Or kissed.

Hux was startled out of his thoughts as Ren's icy cold fingers slid under his uniform and found the bare skin on his hip. He hissed at the shock and tried to twist away, but Ren was holding on tightly.

"Stop thinking so loudly," Ren said.

Hux sighed and slipped his hand over Ren's, hoping that it would warm up faster that way.

**

Kylo woke up to the crunch of boots on snow. He blinked his eyes open and was confused for a moment to find himself pressed close to Hux. Hux's breathing was still the steady rhythm of sleep and he disentangled himself carefully to avoid waking him. Hux was much easier to deal with when he wasn't able to talk.

He carefully straightened his clothes and drew his lightsaber even though the Force revealed that the footsteps belonged to Mitaka and a few stormtroopers. He felt more complete with the sword in hand, and after last night he needed it to ground him.

"What's going on?" Hux mumbled from the ground, his voice thick with sleep and barely concealed pain. Apparently the wampa had gotten a few blows before Kylo had arrived.

"The storm's over." Kylo turned his back on Hux and started for the entrance. "Your men will be here shortly."

It was still cold outside, but the wind had died down and the sun was up so it was bearable. He marched past Mitaka, barely acknowledging his subservient greeting, and made his way back to the base.

Last night had been wholly unexpected and he needed to meditate on it, seeking the Force's insight.

He found himself back in the medical ward, sitting in front of one of the destroyed bacta tanks. Meditating here might be a mistake--the last thing he wanted was another vision like the perverse one he'd been shown yesterday--but it was private.

Kylo opened himself up to the Force, pushing aside the voices that rose up. More fights between Leia and Han, bickering that reeked of pathetic desperation.

_"I'd just as soon kiss a Wookiee."_

_"I can arrange that. You could use a good kiss!"_

Kylo opened his eyes and lifted his hand to his own lips. He'd kissed Hux last night. He hadn't meant to, but it had just happened in the midst of his frustration and anger.

Maybe the Force was showing him his parents' history for a reason.

He'd been attracted to Hux on a primal level since they'd met, but he'd forsworn all attachments. Suppressing the attraction had turned it into a resentful anger aimed at Hux for the crime of existing. Hux was a temptation that threatened his focus, but apparently no matter how well he'd thought he had it in hand, he was fooling himself.

Last night had shown him that he was a fool to think that he could work with Hux the way things were. The only options available to him were to eliminate the temptation once and for all or to accept the attraction and everything that came with it. If things continued as they were they'd be no better than his parents. Even when he was a child they'd done nothing but fight and bicker, letting their juvenile behavior distract them from what was truly important.

He refused to do the same.

Killing Hux would be the simplest solution. With him gone there would be nothing left to distract Kylo from his goals. Snoke would counsel him to eliminate the attachment and embrace the darkness it would bring.

But Snoke was dead, too weak to stand up to Kylo and therefore too weak to guide him any longer. No, he didn't feel any particular loyalty to following Snoke's path. He'd made the decision to destroy the past and forge his own path for the First Order. And he couldn't deny that Hux was useful to that new Order.

Hux was a valuable asset, leading the troops with a competence that few officers displayed. He was driven by power and an almost fanatical belief his vision of a Galaxy ruled by the First Order and would do anything to accomplish it. Kylo's leadership would be much less effective without him.

Beyond that, Kylo had to acknowledge that he had personal reasons for wanting Hux alive. His first impulse had been to seek him out and save his life yesterday, and the thought of killing him outright was distasteful. Hux was one of the few people who didn't worship him and as frustrating as that was at times, he felt more like himself in Hux's presence than at any other time.

Things couldn't continue the way they were, though. They had to burn down their past and build a new future together if this was going to work. He refused to be like his parents, acting like bickering children while their dreams for the New Republic crumbled around them.

Kylo got up and dug through the medical supply closet. Most of the useful items had been long since scavenged, but he did find a packet of bacta near the back. It was several decades old, but bacta was shelf stable and should still retain most of its effectiveness.

He took the bacta and sought out the thread in the Force that was Hux.

**

"Out," Ren snapped as soon as he entered the room Hux had turned into a makeshift command center.

Mitaka and Unamo gave a quick salute before practically dashing for the door.

"We were in the middle of something--"

"Take off your jacket," Ren interrupted him.

"What?" Hux exclaimed, taking a step back.

Ren huffed out a frustrated breath and held out a packet of ancient looking bacta. "I know the wampa injured you. Now take off your jacket."

Hux wrapped his arms protectively over his ribs. There were burning claw marks there, but the blood stains were concealed by the black of his uniform. "I'm fine."

"No you aren't," Ren said. He sighed in frustration, but for once he didn't seem to be angry. "Let me tend it."

"What do you care?" Hux asked, echoing his question from last night.

"You're useful," Ren said. He took a few cautious steps forward and began carefully tugging at Hux's uniform. "To both the Order… and to me. It would be unfortunate if you died from an infection."

Hux was so shocked by what he was hearing that he dropped his arms and let Kylo take off his uniform jacket and the shirt underneath, exposing the black and blue bruises on his torso and the angry red slash marks from the wampa's claws. He'd hastily wiped up the blood himself once they'd returned to the base, but the skin was hot to the touch and probably in the early stages of an infection.

Ren ran his finger tips over the bruises, too softly for Hux to feel it, before slathering the old bacta over the cuts.

"What are you playing at?" Hux asked quietly.

"No games," Ren said. He finished applying the bacta, but left his hand resting on the sharp jut of Hux's hipbone. "I'm tired of games. I'm here to negotiate a truce."

"Negotiate?" Hux repeated. "As if I have a say when you'll just choke me to get your way."

"I won't," Ren said, his words solemn like a vow. "I've been communing with the Force and we have two choices. One, I kill you."

Hux snorted, a humorless chuckle, and stepped away from Ren. "Of course." His heart was beating fast with adrenaline, but he refused to allow his fear to show. "I won't be choosing that one."

"The second is for us to let go of our past animosity and work toward the future of the Order together."

"I doubt that's possible."

"It is, but only if we acknowledge the truth of our relationship," Ren said. He stepped closer, crowding Hux against the table.

"And what's that?" Hux asked, his eyes fixed on Ren's. He looked almost hungry.

Ren didn't answer him with words, instead claiming his mouth in a rough, possessive kiss. The kiss wasn't as violent as last night's, and despite himself, Hux responded, pushing forward against the solid bulk of Ren's body and fighting him for dominance.

Ren's hands explored down Hux's chest, leaving goosebumps in their wake, until he hit one of Hux's bruised ribs. He hissed and Ren immediately stilled.

"Sorry." Ren was breathing hard, his cheeks flushed, but his eyes were fixed on Hux's side. He almost looked concerned.

Hux couldn't remember Ren ever apologizing to anyone for any reason. That more than the kiss had him convinced that Ren was serious. "What do you want?"

"I want us to work together," Ren said. "Our fighting doesn't serve the Order."

"Is your only concern the Order?" Hux asked. Not that he'd mind if the answer was yes. After all, he'd spent the last year wishing that for once in his life Ren would put the Order and its goals first.

"No," Ren answered. "I want you. Snoke taught me that wanting was a weakness, but he's dead, and I think the only weakness is the distraction. When we fight it's a distraction."

Hux bit his lip as he considered Ren's words. What Ren was offering was power and access that he hadn't even dreamed possible a few days ago. He wasn't entirely sure how he felt about Ren--masochistic attraction wasn't a good foundation for a relationship--but he would be a fool to pass up the opportunity. "I hope you realize that I won't stop disagreeing with you. That some fights will be inevitable."

Ren nodded. "Probably. But if I promise to listen to you, will you promise to stop trying to provoke me at every turn?"

"I can try."

"Good." Ren leaned in and kissed him again, this time gentler.

The kiss nearly took Hux's breath away, but he put on a stern face and pushed Ren back a few inches. "But if you harm me or humiliate me in front of my troops ever again I will use our new found relationship to stick my dagger between your ribs while you sleep."

Ren smiled, a genuine smile that made him look years younger. "I would expect nothing less. It's why you're worthy to stand at my side."

Hux couldn't hold back his own smile at that. His whole life he'd been fighting to prove his worth and it was finally being acknowledged. For the first time he initiated a kiss--a brief brush of lips--and then moved around Ren to retrieve his datapad.

He pulled up a star map and pointed at a moon orbiting a nearby planet. "I don't think that the scavenger led you very far astray. One of our scout droids reported Rebel communications coming from this moon."

Ren walked up and stood beside him, close enough that their shoulders touched. "Excellent work." He paused and gave Hux a long look. "I think this is going to be a very beneficial partnership."

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments and kudos are much appreciated. 
> 
> All of my social media info is in my profile and once again, please go leave love on venatohru's art here:
> 
> [Art on Tumblr](https://venatohru.tumblr.com/post/187682427921/my-art-for-the-kyluxbigbang-mini-bang-to-go)


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